(Edit: Oh, boy, did I butcher the opening to the original post. Thought next Friday was good Friday. Got my dates confused. Thanks to Homer for pointing it out. We’ll procede without the clever stupid intro and get right to the content. Plus, I’ve got to head to the airport so I may endure more delays and hopefully arrive in Newark, N.J., some time before tip-off tomorrow. And despite my bad memory, yes, I know the game is in NYC. I choose to stay in Newark. Not because of the lower hotel prices, but because of the scenery.)  Â
Granted, there are still games left to be played and those who have followed WVU know that one game can change everything, but if I’m a coach entering the Big East Tournament next week, there are a few teams I wouldn’t want to mess with. One is West Virginia — defense, guards, shooting, Joe Alexander. That list would also include Lousiville (obvious), Seton Hall (streaky with a NYC presence) and Providence (the enigma). Guess what! WVU probably plays Providence or Seton Hall in the first round.
Earlier in the season, a colleague and I looked at the Big East and picked the sleeper team, a prediction that has enjoyed a great history of accuracy through the years. We agreed Providence was it …Â and laughed about it last month as chants of “Fire Welsh” came from the Friars student section. Yet here we are now, on the eve of the mini dance, and P.C. completes a season sweep of Connecticut! The Friars have a bunch of good pieces and if the coach, Tim Welsh, can align them properly — and consistently — look out. He may have saved his job, too. The roster is all underclassmen, so why make a change when it’s perhaps been building to next season? Or even this week?
Onto the Feedback. As always comments appear as posted.
thacker said:
That was a damn good ballgame. Don’t know about Huggins’ suits or lapel flowers but did notice Boyd in the background of one of the crowd shots during the telecast.
Boyd is a hell of lot more important than Huggins’ apparel in winning ball games. Get that kid on the road during the NCAA.
Forgive this tangent, but it has to happen. Ryan J. Boyd is indispensable. There. I said it. His performance Monday night was memorable. It was a 40-30 WVU lead at the half and the Mountaineers scored the first five points of the second half. I have to think they were setting the stage. Pitt called a timeout, the music hit and the crowd went wild. RJB did his thing, then went to mid-court and fired up the rest of the crowd. Everyone was on their feet, the second verse started and RJB went back to work, only to be cut off. Huggins should have called a timeout immediately. As it was, WVU went on a 9-2 run and the game was over. Over. As for RJB in the NCAAs, it has to happen. He has some sort of association with the pep band, which travels with the team, so maybe it’ll happen. If not, I and we will make it happen. WVU basketball resurfaced in the 2004-05 season and the record at home is 53-8 since the beginning of that season. I’ve covered all but a few games this year when I was instead with the football team for road games. I covered just a few last year for reasons I can’t and won’t explain, but instead need to be studied by a psychologist. Or a jury. So let’s say I’ve covered 45 of those home games and did not witness last year’s lone home loss to Pitt. I don’t believe RJB became a “fixture” until the 2005-06 Sweet 16 season. I could be wrong. Still, I can think of only a handful of instances when RJB hasn’t danced and I’m pretty sure WVU has lost two of those games — Cincinnati this year, LSU in 2005-06.
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